Chapter 109 : Chapter 109

Chapter 109: The Road Ahead Will Be Long (9)

* * *

The tail end of winter.

The setting sun cast a red glow along the distant mountain ridge.

The twilight hues gently seeped into the lakeside.

“Master!”

Joel came running from afar.

Beads of sweat glistened on the boy’s smooth forehead.

“Are you done?”

Eugene straightened his bent back, brushing off the dirt from the herbs in his hand.

Joel, as if forgetting his master’s question, gaped with his mouth open.

“Are those herbs, Master?”

Eugene gave a slight nod.

Even without smiling, it felt like he was.

The gentle wrinkles on his face gave that impression.

“Oh… What are they called, Master?”

Honestly, Joel wasn’t asking out of genuine curiosity.

The names all sounded similar and didn’t stick in his mind.

More than anything, thirteen-year-old Joel had little interest in anything beyond swordsmanship.

Even when his master explained each herb in his soft, distinctive voice, Joel would just nod absentmindedly.

“How admirable.”

When his master said this after finishing his explanation, Joel raised his eyebrows.

“Huh?”

“They may look like mere weeds.”

Eugene gently brushed the leaves. A warmth aged by time lingered in his gaze.

“But they’re the ones that help the sick rise again. If one isn’t enough, you combine it with another. If that still doesn’t work, you mix in something else. That’s how medicine is made.”

“…”

“Did they know from the start? That they were such precious herbs, unable to even walk on their own.”

The sunset, dyeing the lakeside crimson, had settled on his master’s shoulders as well.

Joel grinned bashfully.

For some reason, he felt like he understood his master’s words this time.

* * *

“Please, take it.”

Joel looked down at the Blood Lion resting in his hands.

It embodied everything he had sought to inherit from his master.

The weight hit him anew.

He realized his strength was still lacking. Will alone couldn’t change reality.

‘They may look like mere weeds.’

He hadn’t trusted his comrades fighting alongside him. Nor should he have.

They wouldn’t understand what it meant to risk one’s life.

‘Even if they can’t walk on their own.’

He reflected.

He hadn’t fully understood his master’s words back then.

He realized, belatedly, that everyone was doing their best.

And that he was one of them.

So, if one wasn’t enough, you combined it with another.

If that didn’t work, you mixed in something else.

As long as you could keep going like that.

“Sir Eugene’s will of the sword.”

He resolved to become a mere weed, gladly.

Thud.

Joel knelt on one knee, raising the Blood Lion with both hands.

A heavy silence fell. Everyone watched with hardened faces.

No one dared break the quiet.

No one was worthy of breaking this silence.

Except for one person.

“…”

Bihen gazed silently at the Blood Lion.

“What is Sir Eugene’s will of the sword?”

Joel, eyes lowered, answered.

“It is the heart to protect everything within one’s reach.”

Bihen finally reached for the Blood Lion.

His heart felt the weight before his hand did.

Kiing.

A red glow flowed along the sleek blade, piercing from his grip to his heart in an instant.

“…The will of the sword.”

Bihen turned toward Callence.

The Blood Lion, trailing a red streak, hung loosely by his right leg.

“I’ll uphold it.”

Bihen approached slowly.

For some reason, it felt like a nagging voice was whispering in his ear, telling him not to rush.

‘Got it, old man.’

His measured steps echoed heavily in the chamber.

Just by changing swords, the atmosphere shifted entirely.

Everyone felt it.

He was nearly upon Balrok when—

“No matter how divine the Blood Lion is, only Eugene knew how to wield it. Think it’ll make a difference, Bihen Benkou?”

Callence’s arms, previously crossed leisurely over his chest, were now relaxed.

Bihen snorted instead of pointing it out.

Kiing!

He raised the Blood Lion close to his face and thrust it forward steadily.

Callence laughed exaggeratedly.

“Hahaha! Destreza? How arrogant, Imperial swordsman.”

“Rude, aren’t you?”

Blood from his torn forehead had dried, stinging his face.

Bihen deliberately contorted his features to scrape off the crusted blood.

The blue flame in his left eye, Ghost Eye, flickered along with it.

“Show some respect, Callence.”

Bihen extended his arm.

The Blood Lion surged toward the red six-pointed star of Balrok’s Blood Points.

The first strike targeted the chest’s Jianzhong.

BOOM—!

An explosive sound rang out as blood sprayed.

“Gruuuh…!”

Balrok’s face twisted instantly.

Looking down at the Blood Lion lodged in his chest, a brief tremor passed through his metallic eyes.

A fleeting flash awakened a memory.

A name buried deep in the freak’s consciousness from long ago.

“Eugeeeeene!”

Balrok roared.

Scenes from that day flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

Though decades had passed, to the freak whose consciousness had long been dormant, it felt as vivid as yesterday.

The pain, and that man’s face.

“…!”

The freak, Balrok, widened his eyes. In the lightning-fast sword path, two figures overlapped.

The Imperial swordsman and the Kingdom’s Sword Master struck together in a storm of blows.

Finally, within the surging radiance, their afterimages merged into one.

KU—BOOM!

The freak collapsed.

“Urgh…!”

Callence immediately grabbed the Bastard Sword slung on his back.

His body swayed involuntarily.

“No tricks.”

Bihen closed the distance in an instant and kicked Callence’s calf.

With a deafening crash, the heavy body toppled backward.

CRACK!

Bihen stomped on Callence’s jaw with his heel.

The sound of crushing bone echoed chillingly.

“Should’ve kept your mouth shut from the start.”

Bihen exhaled shortly and sheathed the Blood Lion.

He felt he had to, or he’d lose control.

That brief moment took bone-deep restraint.

“I’d love to butcher you whole.”

Bihen gritted his teeth, calming himself. He was almost proud of his restraint.

“But you’re Adeline’s to deal with.”

There was no time to catch his breath.

A large force of soldiers poured into the underground prayer chamber.

“My lord!”

Their lord was already down, his hair gripped in the Imperial swordsman’s hand.

His eyelids trembled as if struggling to stay open, his mouth drenched in blood.

The fallen officers and Balrok came into view next.

“Your lord’s alive. For now. So, drop your weapons.”

The soldiers exchanged glances.

Though battered, the Archduke was clearly still breathing.

The reinforcements that followed hesitated as well.

Seeing the stunned soldiers ahead, their eager steps slowed.

Seizing the moment, Bihen spoke to Joel.

“Gather all our forces and bring them here. Anyone who can move will do. Take a few of the surrendered ones too.”

“Understood!”

Joel approached the semicircle of enemies without hesitation.

Some soldiers flinched but didn’t dare act.

After confirming Joel left with a few to vouch for Callence’s defeat, Bihen turned to Roland.

“Where’s the lady?”

* * *

Whoosh—!

Splash—

Adeline stood alone on the beach behind the order.

She’d told Joel and Roland she’d bring a few priests, but there was no manpower to spare in this situation.

‘Why are they so late?’

The appointed time had long passed.

This was unprecedented.

‘What’s with Jewelina…?’

As she muttered to herself, a strong wave crashed.

Whoosh!

Adeline adjusted her robe’s collar.

Even for her, standing alone on a beach at night wasn’t easy.

At least the moonlight was bright tonight.

“Ah.”

After waiting for who knows how long, a boat finally appeared in the distance.

“…”

Her large eyes, hidden under the robe, trembled slightly.

An inexplicable unease crept in.

When it drew closer, she understood.

The boat’s faint outline was much smaller than usual—barely a sailboat.

It glided silently across the water’s surface.

Whoosh—

Having survived countless intrigues since childhood, Adeline was attuned to reading subtle cues—eye glints, faint breaths, footsteps.

Her instincts were warning her.

She glanced back and scanned both sides.

Gulp.

Her palms were already sweaty.

‘Should I run back now? No, it might just be my imagination…’

Her anxious eyes gradually calmed.

There might be issues on the Gunbel Trading Company’s side.

That sailboat likely carried Jewelina herself with news about it.

Just like Adeline now.

Whoosh—!

How many waves had come and gone?

The long wait felt fleeting.

The boat had reached the shore.

It wasn’t as small as it seemed from afar, but it was definitely smaller than Jewelina’s usual vessel.

Soon, figures emerged under the moonlight.

Adeline found herself counting them.

‘One, two, three, four…’

Her heart beat faster, its thumping rivaling the waves.

Counting was meaningless—a subconscious act to suppress her unease.

Whoosh—!

Against the dark waves, four shadows quietly crossed the sandy beach.

Finally, Adeline faced the tangible form of her vague fear.

“Well, well. So you’re the Lady Adeline I’ve heard so much about?”

A man approached casually, extending his hand.

He tilted the brim of his black hat, revealing his face, but his eyes caught her attention first.

‘…’

Adeline instinctively clenched her fists.

Eyes like a beast’s.

“Oh, my apologies. A misstep at our first meeting.”

The man sheepishly withdrew his hand.

Though his demeanor was different, his attire and accent felt oddly familiar.

‘Bihen…’

Repeating that name tightened her chest further.

Adeline forced a calm expression.

The loud waves were a small mercy.

Her head tilted slightly to the man’s left.

A faint light drew her gaze.

A child, maybe seven or eight, stood holding a curved stick like a fishing rod, with a glowing light dangling from its end, swaying quietly in the sea breeze.

“Lady.”

Adeline’s head snapped back.

To the man’s right, a voice, more subdued than usual.

“Deputy Leader.”

“…”

As always, Maserin stood beside Jewelina.

She, too, seemed to avoid eye contact.

“Well, the mood’s a bit off. Not that I expected anything pleasant.”

“Deputy Leader, care to explain what’s going on?”

Jewelina gave no reply, her gaze fixed elsewhere.

Amid the awkward silence, the crashing waves shook the area.

The man, whistling idly, suddenly stared over Adeline’s shoulder.

“Is that him?”

Adeline cautiously turned.

Her gaze, fixed warily on the man, followed slowly.

Her heart stopped for a moment.

From the shadows, Killian was approaching.

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